in search for creative recipes, original techniques and novel pairings

Trout with Beets, Broccoli and Blood Orange

Two friends of mine, Gabi and Gaba recently launched a new Hungarian food blog with recipes and information about fish and seafood. Because I love to work with local fish like trout or char, they asked me to write a guest post with a recipe featuring trout and seasonal ingredients. Although winter is dark and cold, the ingredients of this season aren’t nearly as grey and dreary as they are often told. This dish is a good example for the bright colors of winter. Actually, the colors of the vegetables are complemented by the single grey element on the plate only, the trout.

For the garnish, I cooked the red beets in two different ways. I wrapped one beet in aluminium foil and baked it in the oven. The remaining beets were first sprinkled with salt and sugar and allowed to “breath out” the earthy flavors for a few minutes. Only then I cooked and blended them into a fine puree. I also used the cooking liquid to reheat the baked beets after peeling and cutting them into wedges. The sweetness of the beets was complemented by the blood orange vinaigrette, which added some acidity to the whole plate and enhanced all flavors, especially the trout. I steamed some broccoli florets, which worked well both in color and in taste with the beets. The final touch were a few drops of peanut butter mixed with malt extract and seasoned with soy sauce. It helped making every bite slightly different and kept the dish interesting until the end. For the styling of the plate I was inspired by Ákos Sárközi’s (Borkonyha / Winekitchen) recent video.

Wash the small beet and tap dry. Wrap in aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour in a 200°C / 390F hot oven. Remove from the oven and chill wrapped to room temperature.

For the beet puree

Wash the large beets, peel and chop coarsely. Season with a generous pinch salt and sugar, mix well and set aside. After 15 minutes remove the beet pieces from their liquid. Discard the liquid and transfer the beet to a pot. Cover with just enough water and cook covered until very soft. Strain and reserve the liquid. Reduce the cooking liquid to about a quarter of its original volume.

Blend the beets into a fine puree with 1 tsp butter. Season with salt and pepper. Press through a fine sieve and reserve.

For the beet wedges (cont.)

Unwrap the beets and peel. Cut into 8 wedges and add to the reduced beet cooking liquid. Season with some balsamic vinegar.

For the blood orange vinaigrette

Cut off the skin from the blood orange. Make sure to remove all white parts. Using a sharp knife cut fillets from the orange and cut each fillet into 3-4 pieces.

Press out all liquid from the remaining orange. Add the liquid with 3 tbsp mild olive oil, finely chopped shallots, salt and pepper to a small jar. Add a few drops of vinegar if the orange is very sweet. Cover the jar and shake.

For the peanut cream

Mix the peanut butter with the malt extract and some water to get a creamy result. Season with a few drops of soy sauce.

For the trout

Wash the trout under cold running water and tap dry with kitchen paper. Trim off the fillets and remove the bones. Cut the fillets into long rectangles. Immediately before roasting the fish, tap the portions dry on kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbsp lemon olive oil in a hot pan and add the fillets with their skin side down. Carefully push down on the fillets with a flat kitchen tool to get an even and crispy skin. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the fish through from its skin side. The fish is ready when the meat on top turns pale.

For the broccoli florets

Cut the broccoli into small florets. Add a steaming basket to a pot, pour over 200ml boiling water and add the broccoli florets. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Cover and steam for 4-5 minutes.

To serve

Warm the beet puree and the beet wedges over low heat. Shake the vinaigrette once again and add the blood orange fillets.

Using a comb-shaped dough scraper spread 2 tbsp beet puree across a warm plate. Add the trout with its skin side up at one end of the puree. Arrange the drained beet wedges, broccoli florets and a few tsp blood orange vinaigrette on the plate. Decorate with 6-8 drops peanut cream.